Today we joined the crew of Challenger 2. Upon arrival we met magnificent Mark the watch leader of the port watch and Terrific Thea our watch leader. The other two members of the crew are May the first mate and our skipper Terry. We got given a tour of the boat and given our lifejackets and waterproofs where we put them on our bed. We got given a safety brief and off we went down the loch.

1745 hours, we began prepping our evening meal (dinner for you basic people) spaghetti Bolognese! Starboard watch made the meal first. Gordon Ramsey would be proud!! It took celebrity master chef style cooking to make gourmet food (and Asda garlic bread;😊)

We left port watch to clean up because Belfast loch doesn’t smell great… not like we did either till we took a shower. Now we are going to bed for a nice sleep to be disturbed by waking up at a quarter to six.

Today, we started our journey from Bangor at 6:00 o’clock. For breakfast we had cereals it was nice.

So many people were feeling the effects of the weather. We all put up all of the Sails early in the morning it took teamwork and hard effort.

The boat was tilting on its side for half of the day it was hard to stand up on the boat. for lunch we had spinach and ricotta pasta and it was really nice after lunch we put down the sails it was hard to pack them away again, we needed full focus and hardworking teamwork. for dinner we had chicken curry with Nann bread which was prepared by Mr chi chi and some crew member it was lovely.

We learned new skills like knots and setting sails, some people were even steering the boat! everyday we improve not only ourselves but other people as we work together as a crew and share laughs and encouragement to complete or tasks maintaining an enjoyable experience on the boat.

The boats antigravity feature is some experience in itself as it always tests your balance and keeps you on your toes at all times, some find this more enjoyable than others.

We have arrived in Scotland today on time as calculated (another skill the crew got to learn). The views are lovely around here we are in a nice little town with lovely scenery like older structures and greenery. Something about this town has a subtle but calm and beautiful essence around.

The sea was smooth for the most part and personally made me feel calmed and relaxed with each wave we would flow over , must have been something about how light and peaceful I felt like swinging from a swing as I moved with ease or swayed side to side. Others were less fortunate with cases of sea sickness but overcame it and continued to work as well as they could.

Everyday we get stronger and stronger as a group as we sail from point to point with a final goal always being met when and where we needed it, it would be wrong not to mention our “MATE MAY” pulled off an impressive manoeuvre to dock or boat , allowing us to settle in for a slower and easier afternoon leaving us here ready to get rest for a new and exciting day tomorrow.

Today we had an appreciated and well needed lie in to 08h00. We started our day with a very nice bacon bap which would give us the energy to raise all the sails. Today the wind wasn’t bad, we had a few strong gusts of wind which we took advantage of as to get us to our destination faster and help us use a new technique of sailing called “Tacking”.

We were tilting a lot at one side at some point which was fun and new for most.

Today the crew was feeling well throughout the day and we all worked together to raise and lower the sails and pack them away. We learned new knots and ties which we competed in an exciting race to tie it correctly the fastest. Everyday we are learning new skills and qualities.

When we arrived at our destination, we had to dock the boat which had to have all attention and focus from all the crew. We have all explored Campbell town which was fun and a little break from sailing, the crew all got snacked up and showered for dinner, which was sausage and mash.

The rest of the day has been slow and relaxed as we played games and got rested for bed . we had uno and a PJ fashion show with JONATHAN as the winner. Also, throughout the day we had dress up as pirates as we sail around Scotland with Pirates of the Caribbean music blasting. More of the crew got to steer the boat which was exciting and new (not like the video games)

By Fraser, Danny and James not really

0730 hours was our awakening. Apart from snoring and the odd creak of the mast, our sleep was peaceful.  The famous skippers pancake breakfast kept us going for hours on end until our fantastic lunch of jacket potatoes with beans, butter and tuna. Upon our departure, we were engulfed in a thick fog… so dense we could cut it with a butter knife. We forged our way through the channel at good speeds, the sea was good to us and the wind was just right.

We were joined on our voyage by dolphins! Around three of them , they were incredible and gave us a delightful little show. After our lunch we had some very exciting activities including climbing to the very top of the MAST! Four people were hoisting you up heavily assisting your climb, the view was breath taking and the thrill and excitement of climbing the mast left some shaking.

We then went on another climbing activity on the spinnaker pole, which was sticking outside the boat. We climbed vigorously with anticipation to reach the top as quick as we could whilst using our upper body strength and some of the crew help bringing you up via rope. This was another great experience allowing us to see the ocean from another point of view.

We docked our ship at 1930 in the Belfast port which took all the crews effort. The dinner was made by the port watch crew and was chilli con carny which tasted amazing but was very difficult to clean and wash after dinner we had showers and got cleaned and ready for bed. This will be our last night aboard the challenger 2 and will be the last blog written by …

Jonah, Danny.